SHIRT, charles leclerc

ELEVEN, calculated

Juli's belongings and clothes were deftly whisked away from the suite she once shared with Gabriel by Suki.

The hotel was completely booked out, so she couldn't find a new room.

The hotel was quite literally booked out — Bruna offered to let her stay in her hotel but her room didn't suffice for the both of them.

Charles — like the gentleman he was — immediately piped up and offered his suite as an option.

The two former teammates were now sharing a room.

Juliette didn't mind it to be honest. They shared rooms in the past.

Charles definitely didn't mind it either. He actually loved the fact they were temporarily 'living together.'

Observing her with admiration, Charles watched as she delicately applied a touch of blush to her cheeks. Her mannerisms so delicate and elegant.

His gaze then drifted to the purple bruise on her wrist, a sight that churned his stomach.

Rising slowly, he positioned himself behind her, hands gently resting on her sides as he drew her close, his chest against her back. A sheepish smile graced her lips as she spoke, "You're coming tonight, right?"

Charles tilted his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Bold of you to assume I wouldn't come."

Perplexed, Juli furrowed her brows, their faces now inches apart as she turned around. "What do you mean?" she inquired, her lips pursed.

"You think I'd let you go to a club alone in that," he gestured towards the dark green dress laid out on the bed, "so guys can ogle at you? No way."

Raising an eyebrow, Juli sensed his protective nature shining through, his eyes laced with a darkness that allured her.

"I'm not going alone. Bru and the others will be with me—" she started, but Charles interrupted firmly, his thumb tracing the contours of her face.

"You know what I mean," he asserted, his touch causing her cheeks to flush.

A moment of silence enveloped them before Juli's soft voice broke through. "Charles . . ." She attempted to snap him out of his daze.

Charles hummed in response, his gaze fixed on her, though his mind appeared elsewhere.

"Is Ackley going to be there?" he inquired, a touch of irritation in his tone.

Tensing under his hold, Juli shrugged, "I don't know, and frankly, I don't care."

A hoarse chuckle escaped Charles. "Are you worried?" Juli asked softly, her gaze locked onto his forest-green eyes.

"No," he replied firmly. Juli nodded gently, voicing a gentle plea, "Just... please, don't start anything, even if he tries to provoke you. We're gonna be in public."

"Yeah, no a shit, Sherlock," Charles snorted, prompting Juli to playfully smack his chest before extricating herself from his embrace, and turning back to the vanity.

"If he goes way out of line at some point, I might have to intervene," he stated casually, eliciting a groan from Juli. "Charles..." she whined, her tone evidently affecting him.

Swallowing hard, he attempted to brush off the sensation building in him, his pants getting tighter. "Do you really not care about your public image?" Juli asked, to which Charles snorted, "Of course I do, but not when it comes to you."

Pausing to absorb his words, Juli's face lit up with adoration as she gazed at him through the reflection of the mirror on the vanity. Charles returned her gaze with a hint of mischief playing on his lips.